anation, but he fumbled in his pocket, and soon drew
forth a carefully wrapped piece of brown paper.

"This is parchment. It contains the sketch of the cave that has been the
object of my search. I believe we are the only white people who have
ever been privileged to enter it since the chart was made three
centuries ago."

Ephraim, as well as the boys, glanced about them. What was there to
excite him? Other caves had the same sort of formation, the chambers and
the openings: and while they wondered John drew a compass from his
pocket, and after holding it for a while, continued:

"This chamber runs north and south as you see. We entered on the south
side. It had two other outlets, one to the east, the other to the west."

"Then it is the cross-shaped cave!" almost shouted George.

"Yes," answered John, as he fixed his eyes on the boys. "In the year
1620, a Spanish navigator found a cave, of which this is a description,
and within it were found the remains of hundreds of people."

CHAPTER XIII

THE CHART AND THE CAVES

John pored over the map, without going any further. Evidently something
was passing in his mind, for occasionally his eyes left the paper and he
looked about, as though undecided.

"Do you know any more about what they found?"

"Yes; there are many incomplete portions belonging to the history, but
it may be summed up by the statement, that they also found an immense
amount of treasure, much of it in the form of solid gold. The
adventurers were wild with joy at the discovery, and took steps to
remove it.

"Before proceeding far they found carvings and inscriptions, the latter
of which were unintelligible to them, but they were very curious,
judging from the few sketches which were made. But like many men of
their class they began to quarrel over the treasure, and fought each
other to the death."

"That was just like the fellows who lived in the cave at the Cataract,"
suggested Harry.

"No doubt that was over the treasure, too, there, as well as here. Four
of the men escaped, only to be chased by savages, and after finally
reaching their vessel were almost wrecked because they did not have
enough properly to man the ship.

"After reaching civilization, they engaged a number of men, and
returned. Some went in, among them two of the original discoverers. They
did not return for some days, and another party went in, but they did
not return.

"Only one of the four remained, and when t